New study by Prof. Jan R. Landwehr examines advantages of slow motion in short videos

Almost all of us see them every day. On the way to work, in the waiting room, or just before falling asleep. Whether as a reel, story or TikTok clip - short videos have become an established means of marketing communication and entertainment and it is hard to imagine our everyday lives without them. Successful short videos attract the attention of social media users - and according to the findings of a new study, one tool is particularly effective in attracting viewers: slow motion.

The research results of Anika Stuppy (Tilburg University), Jan R. Landwehr (Goethe University, Chair of Business Administration, esp. Market and Consumer Psychology), and Peter McGraw (University of Colorado Boulder) show that slow motion can increase the reach and popularity of short videos, among other things. Furthermore, the evaluation of brands improves and the willingness to pay for products increases when they are advertised in the context of slow motion videos. Based on experiments and a field data set, the researchers indicate that slow motion is an effective tool especially when the videos present pleasant content and contain movements that would be difficult to perceive at normal speed. Simpler movements, on the other hand, can be made more complex by zooming in, so that they can benefit from slow motion. In addition, the researchers show that in some cases it can be useful to increase the speed of the videos: This can lead to a more positive evaluation of the content shown for a more risk-averse audience.

More information on the paper, which will appear in the Journal of Marketing Research, can be found here.